Detection of Coxiella burnetii in ticks collected from Central Spain.
A total of 1482 adult ticks collected from vegetation and animals in central Spain in 2003-2005 were tested for the presence of Coxiella burnetii by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent reverse line blot hybridization (PCR-RLB). C. burnetii was identified in 7.7% of questing ticks (80/1039) and 3.4% of ticks collected from animals (15/443) belonging to four species: Hyalomma lusitanicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhiphicephalus sanguineus, and R. pusillus. These findings show an active role of ticks in maintaining C. burnetii in wild and peridomestic cycles in central Spain.
Toledo
A
A
Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Jado
I
I
Olmeda
A S
AS
Casado-Nistal
M A
MA
Gil
H
H
Escudero
R
R
Anda
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001717:Birds; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D012104:Reptiles; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*